A day like any other?
by Onee-san
Summary: [Diabolo]When Ren and Rai first met, told in Rai's perspective.


It was a day like any other. He sat, separated from the rest of the world, hoping to be involved, hoping to be included. His want and need to be with the rest brought him very conflicted emotions. He didn't want to conform, he wanted to be an individual. However, he grew tired of being alone, which is something that came with his independence. He didn't understand how others did it. How did they maintain their own, separate persona, but get along so well with others? He didn't know. He didn't know how to react with other people. He was different, but so were they. So what was it that they had in common that he didn't? The bell rang, and he left his classroom after all the rest, and got a small, pitying look from his teacher.

"_If you would try, just a little harder, you could make friends. I'm sure you can do it, just like yourself a little more," _she said one day, with a sigh. He shrugged and left that day, just as he did on this one. He never returned her smile, just as he never followed her advice. How could he like himself? His parents never even liked him, so how did he have any likable qualities? How could he like himself, if his own parents threw him out on the streets? He sighed and left the safety of his classroom, blinking at the bright sunshine as it glared into his teal eyes. He wondered what it was that made him different from the others. What was so odd about him? Why did they pick on him because he was abandoned? It was something he just couldn't understand.

He began walking down the street when it happened. It was, quite possibly, the best thing that had ever happened to him--although he did not know it then. He also did not know the pain that would come after it happened. The pain he would feel throughout a 10 year search, the pain he would feel when he was forgotten, the pain he would cause to the best thing in his life… all of it would come, because of this one meeting. But it wasn't a meeting, at first. It was a group of kids who had nothing to do. That is, until he started walking past them. Then, they suddenly had something to do. Something that involved taking the boy's bag from him, and kicking him, and hurting him in other various ways. This was a normal activity that took place on most afternoons. It would normally go on until the bullies got bored, and then it would cease. However, today it was different. Today, it stopped much sooner then that.

"Quit it, you!" someone cried, tearing towards the other boys and chasing them off. Rai looked up and saw an angel before him. A boy his age, with pale blonde hair and amber eyes gazed at him with a concerned, but aggressive look on his face. He was panting slightly. "You don't have to worry about them. Are you okay? Those bullies really suck. They've nothing better to do then be jerks," he said, putting his hand in his pockets. His aggressive look softened quite a bit. The adrenaline in his system had gone down a bit. The other boy felt tears brimming his teal eyes, so he kept his face cast downward. He shook his dark head temporarily, then spoke.

"It's all right. It doesn't matter, I'm…" he paused, thinking it wouldn't be a good idea to give the boy who just saved him a reason to hate him. And yet, he felt the urge to push this other boy away. This boy who couldn't understand him. This boy was not going to remain his friend once he found out, anyway. "… just an abandoned kid. I don't even know my parents faces," he said. The tears had gone away as his voice hardened. The boy above him glared at him, and he knew that he would not be seeing this boy again.

"So that makes it okay to pick on you? No way!" the boy almost shouted. The dark haired one blinked, and stood up, gazing at the smaller boy with wide, curious eyes. He couldn't have heard that right. He didn't understand what was just said, so he made the first sound that came to his mind.

"Huh?"

"Doesn't matter, that's just stupid," the boy sighed, shaking his head. He looked his dark haired counterpart up and down, and smiled. "You're tall aren't you?" he asked, rhetorically, noticing the size difference. "Lucky. How old are you? Are we the same age? What's your name?" He asked, rapid fire. Rai blinked for a moment, then answered the last question.

"I'm… Rai," he breathed. The blonde boy reached out and grabbed his hand.

"I'm Ren! Nice to meet you!" he grinned. Rai looked at him with a confused expression on his face, when a woman called for his new friend.

"Ren! Time to go home!" Ren looked at his knew friend and shrugged. "Sorry! I gotta go! Today's the day Dad comes home early," he said, running off.

"Yeah," Rai muttered as Ren dashed off. He stood there for a moment, and thought of what just happened, letting thoughts run through his head about Ren.

_A happy family. _

_A warm household. _

_Blinding smiles. _

_A boy that's like an angel…_

_Lucky, _he smiled as he thought about his angel. Then he frowned, amazed at the new feeling that passed through him, which left him even more confused. He stayed in place, gazing straight ahead, looking after Ren with that same confused expression on his face.

Perhaps it wasn't a day like any other, after all.


End file.
